1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a wireless communication scheme, and more particularly, to methods utilized in a wireless communication system for handling the situation when a time alignment timer expires, and a mobile device thereof.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A long-term evolution (LTE) system, initiated by the third generation partnership project (3GPP), is now being regarded as a new radio interface and radio network architecture that provides a high data rate, low latency, packet optimization, and improved system capacity and coverage. In the LTE system, an evolved universal terrestrial radio access network (E-UTRAN) includes a plurality of evolved Node-Bs (eNBs) and communicates with a plurality of mobile stations, also referred as user equipments (UEs).
In the LTE system, if a mobile device such as a mobile phone desires to connect to the Internet or communicate with other mobile phones via the LTE system, the mobile device firstly needs to be synchronized with a base station that serves the mobile device on uplink timing. The purpose of being synchronized with the base station is to prevent signals transmitted from the mobile device from colliding with other signals sent from other mobile devices under the coverage of the base station. In general, a time alignment timer of the mobile device is utilized for indicating whether the mobile device is synchronized with the base station on uplink timing. When the time alignment timer is running, uplink timing synchronization is still established. If the time alignment timer expires, then this indicates that the mobile device is not synchronized with the base station on uplink timing.